Apparatus for burning gas



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

REUBEN WM. HOIT, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR BURNING GAS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 30,319, dated October 9, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, REUBEN W. H011", of Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Apparatus Used for Burning Gas, &c., for IlluminatingPurposes, and that the following description, taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings hereinafter referred to, forms a full andexact specification of the same, wherein I have set forth the nature andprinciples of my said improvements, by

.which my invention may be distinguished from all others of a similarclass, together with such parts as I claim and desire to have secured tome by Letters Patent.

The figures of the accompanying plate of drawings represent myimprovements.

Figure l is a side elevation of a gas chandelier or pendant with myimprovements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section.

In the burning of gas for illuminating purposes, it is well known, thatheating it previous to its issuing from the jet or burner expands itsvolume, without increas ing its pressure, and that the illuminatingpower can thus be increased without increasing the quantity consumed.The illuminating power of gas, is proportional first, to the quantity ofcarbon vapor it contains and can precipitate in the act of burning; andsecond, to the force and manner of jetting the gas and the quantity ofair with which it is made to mix by the proper ventilation of the flamewhile burning. This follows from the fact, that it is the ignition ofthe charcoal or other solid matters within the flame at the temperatureof a white heat, that alone can emit the prismatic rays in theconcentrated form of white light, and that when mingled with too muchair, the flame becomes blue and the light feeble, like that evolved bythe burning of hydrogen, alcohol &c., because in proportion to theoxygen furnished by the air, will the carbon vapor unite with it to formcarbonic acid, and too little of this vapor will be precipitated to emita strong light-while, on the contrary, too little air allows a portionof the carbon to escape in smoke and the part burned is not heated abovea red heat and come quently the light emitted will partake of thiscolor. Due ventilation of the flame then,

by means of a considerable draft of air and heating the gas to a hightemperature before jetting it, so as to insure perfect combustion, arethe essentials to be aimed at in order to obtaln its greatestilluminating power. This result is secured by my invention, as well asthat of carrying off all the products of combustion, such as carbonicacid &c., that are deleterious to health, and that can not ordinarilyescape from an apartment, as they are heavier than the air and will notascend unless heated to about 250 Fahrenheit, above the temperature ofthe air of the room.

Having thus premised the general objects of my invention, I will nowproceed to show the manner in which it may be practically carried out.

One form of my new apparatus is shown in the accompanying drawings inwhich a (t represents the central stock of a gas chandelier or pendantmade hollow and of sufiicient capacity to conduct away the products ofcombustion of all the jets to be burned. The lower end of the stock a aterminates in a bulb or reservoir 6 b from which extends downward branchpipes c c terminating in bell-shaped receivers (Z d, the mouths of whichextend directly over the flames and are of about the same size.

6 e is the supplying gas pipe which en ters a distributor f from whichproceed the branch gas pipes g 9 having suitable burners it. it upontheir ends. The pipes c and g g through which gas is conveyed to theburners may if desirable be conducted through the main pipe a a and itsbranches 0, 0, instead of outside of them as represented in thedrawings, but this would necessitate the enlarging of the flue pipes a a&c.

By the above described arrangement, the gas when lighted causes anupward current of air to impinge upon the lower surfaces of the jets andinto the mouths of the bellshaped receivers, thereby generating a strongdraft of heated air and carrying the products of combustion into thebranch ventilating flues, which being collected into the main stock orflue a a pass off in the direction shown by red arrows in Fig. 2 intoany proper flue or chimney of the house. This arrangement affords themost perfect ventilation to the flames and inclines them upward to ahorizontal plane in which position they are steadily and firmly held, soas to prevent all flickering between two forces, viz; the jetting forceof the gas and the rising currents of the heated air &c. The heatgenerated also within the bells sufficiently lessens the specificgravity of the carbonic acid produced from the burning of the gas as toallow it to rise and be carried off with the other heated currents.rection which the gas takes in passing to the jets, is shown by bluearrows in Fig. 2 and the distributer f from which each burner is to drawits supply is inserted within the bulb or reservoir 6 Z) and is thusexposed to the heated currents in their upward passage to the main flueor stock a a, thereby heating the gas before it is jetted to a hightemperature and producing the ad vantageous results hereinbefore fullystated.

Within the bell-shaped receivers 05 03 are placed adjustable cones ormouth-pieces z 2', by means of which the size of their openings into thetubes 0 0 may be Varied so as to regulate the draft or amount of airpassing through the flames, so as to meet the various contingencies ofventilation depending upon the height of the apartment to be ventilated&c.

R R are outside bell-shaped receivers that cover the inner bells d dwhich are liable to be tarnished by the excessive heat and also serve toretain the heated air around the flame and cause a reflux of the samedownward, within them, the branch gas pipes entering through them asshown or otherwise.

Glass shades may be suspended from the The dibottom of the outer bellshaving an opening of the same capacity as that of the inner bells, forthe purpose of softening the light protecting the flame from suddendrafts and forming a guide to conduct the air in a fixed channel orupward current to the under surface of the flame, instead of from alldirections as would otherwise be the case.

Having thus described my improvements what I claim as my invention anddesire to have secured to me by Letters Patent is 1. Carrying off theunconsumed products of combustion of the flame or jet by forming Withinthe apparatus itself, ventilating flues, arranged and operating asdescribed, the same consisting of the 'main stock a a and branch pipe 0terminating in a bell shaped mouth, extending over the flame or jet, asset forth. 7

2. So arranging and locating the gas supplying pipes or the reservoirfrom which all the branch pipes for conveying gas to the burners receivetheir supply, that they or it shall receive and be exposed to the upwardheated currents that proceed from the flames or jets substantially asdescribed and for the purposes specified.

REUBEN WM. HOIT.

Witnesses:

JosEPH GAVETT, A. W. BROWN.

